


Don't Keep Me Waiting (part 1)

by randompandemic



Series: Fifteen Kisses [5]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Perc'ahlia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-25
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 16:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8378623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randompandemic/pseuds/randompandemic
Summary: Vex'ahlia is looking for Percy in the mansion, all the while trying to be super sneaky.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Set some time after episode 72 and 'the talk' that will hopefully result in a relationship, but before throwdown with Thordak.

It was all still so new. So fragile. There was so much going on, and the horrible things – dragons and monsters – threatened to overtake the good things. So she wanted to hold on to this good thing, with everything she had. She had her hair down, a rare sight, and had taken off the armour – letting down her guard, both literally and metaphorically, when she snuck down the halls of the mansion when everyone was asleep. She had the sneaking suspicion Scanlan had deliberately manifested her room at the opposite end of the mansion from Percy’s, just so chances they got caught were higher.

They had not talked about it yet, had not made their developing relationship public yet, but she suspected the others knew at least something. And they were all too eager to make the pair trip up. So far, they had been successful at keeping their private relationship private. But it was a challenge to sneak down the hallways of the mansion at night, past literally everyone’s rooms, knowing that Scanlan probably sat awake behind the door, just waiting to hear something, ready to pounce and catch them red-handed.

When she reached Percy’s room, a sigh of relief escaped her lips, and she knocked gingerly.

No response.

She knocked again. Nothing.

“Percy,” she hissed now, increasingly nervous. Nothing. Oh for the love of- he was in his workshop, wasn’t he? That tinkering fool. Gods she adored him, but sometimes…

Vex’ahlia turned on her heels very slowly, lips pursed. That meant she had to sneak all the way back past her room, out through the main foyer – where Kima slept, for crying out loud! – and downstairs to his workshop.

It took her almost a half hour to sneak past the rooms again and by now, she felt utterly ridiculous. She should just knock on everyone’s door and declare _‘Hey guys, I’m gonna go find Percy and we’ll make out. Discuss!’_ and then leave them to it. But she did not want to drop that on Percy. He was a very private person, she was not sure if he wanted everyone to know just yet. She didn’t want to make this public if he was not fully comfortable with that idea yet. So she continued to sneak around.

She made her way downstairs through the dark foyer and tiptoed towards the door that led to the stairs. And she was almost there when there was a grunt and-

“Who goes there?!” Kima said gruffly and was on her feet momentarily, her new sword at the ready.

“It’s me, Kima. Vex’ahlia,” she replied through gritted teeth.

“Oh… hey… what are you doing up…?”

“I was feeling… peckish. So I wanted to go to the kitchen. Get some, um… chicken.”

“That is…” Kima began with a stern face and narrowed eyes, and Vex was absolutely certain the woman saw right through her excuse. But then a bright grin spread across her face. “A _fantastic_ idea! I’ll get some too!”

“Great. I’ll, um, I’ll just ask Percy if he’s hungry too, and I’ll meet you in the kitchen?”

“Don’t be too long, or I might have no chicken left for you!” Kima declared and marched ahead towards the kitchen. Vex let go of a deep breath, back leaning against the door. Gods, she was acting like a teenage girl hiding a crush. This was ridiculous. She and Percy needed to have a talk about this.

She opened the door and now hurried downstairs, only slowing down when she approached the door to the workshop. Light was shimmering through, and she heard the clicking and clanking of fine tools. Typical. She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips.

She knocked, much more confident down here than up there. There was a little stumble, then a small.

“Yes?”

“It’s me.”

“It’s open,” Percy replied. Vex turned the handle and was surprised to find it true. There had been times when he used to lock his workshop, but she was pleasantly surprised to find that, too, was changing. She stepped into the workshop, meticulously organised and still so overstuffed with tinkering tools and material and blueprints, the smell of gunpowder, leather, wood fires and smelting iron in the air. The light was dim throughout, the only sources of light were the oven in a corner, where he seemed to be currently working on iron ores, and the lamp on his desk where he was sitting with his back to her. When she came in, he turned, and Vex could not hold back the small snort of laughter. Percy was wearing a pair of elaborate goggles that made his eyes look enormous, with additional lenses he could flip on and off at will, and his hair was in a mess and there was soot on his face, and really, he looked like he could well be related to Viktor, the Blackpowder merchant.

“Oh, darling,” she mused with a chuckle.

“I look ridiculous, don’t I?”

“A little, yes. But it is very endearing. What are you working on?”

He moved from his work a little when she stepped closer and revealed a curious contraption. A small box, with a fuse and pressure plate and a sealed containment. Vex frowned. “What is it?”

“I hate to admit, it is something I thought of after our last encounter with Ripley. This is a grappling mine - or, well, a prototype. There is a bit of blackpowder in there – not enough to actually create a crater, but enough for it to explode quite spectacularly. And these grappling chains will be shot upwards when it explodes. The pressure plate is the trigger. I’ll make a bigger one later, this is just for a test run. I… was thinking… keeping dragons on the ground is usually the biggest trouble we have. We shouldn’t rely on Sarenrae intervening again, and our last plan with Umbrasyl did not go so well. I want this to be triggered when Thordak lands on it, the grappling hooks will – ideally – pierce his wings and prevent him from taking off again. It’s still just in the early stages and…”

He rambled a little, his voice excited as he pushed the goggles up into his hair and honestly, it was the sweetest she had ever seen him. Vex could not keep herself from smiling. Eventually, Percy stopped his explanation and looked up at her. “And I’m boring you, aren’t I?”

“Never,” she declared, shaking her head. He smiled, and wrapped an arm around her waist. Vex leaned down, both hands cradling his face and her hair cascading all around them as she kissed him. _This is still so new_. The certainty that she could just kiss him, whenever she wanted, and did not have to worry about whether or not he returned her feelings.

Their kiss lingered. His free hand was brushing through her hair, the other thumb was drawing absentminded patterns on her back through the fabric of her shirt. She gently nipped at his lower lip and could feel his smile against hers before they parted and she playfully brushed her nose against his. “It’s late, though, darling. You shouldn’t work all through the night. And you certainly shouldn’t keep me waiting.”

“I won’t,” he promised and brushed her hair to the side so light fell on their faces. As he did, his fingertips ever so gently caressed the side of her neck and just below her earlobe, sending a sweet shiver down her spine. Vex pulled her lower lip between her teeth. “I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

“You better,” she whispered, her voice trembling, betraying just how much she wanted him to be with her _right now_. The smirk that crossed his lips was outright mischievous, before he pulled her down by her neck into another kiss. This one was fiercer, hotter, hungry for more. And she would have gladly had more right this instant, as he pulled her ever closer until she had to put a knee between his legs on the chair to not fall over, their bodies pressed together, his hand on her back more urging, digging into the fabric of her shirt. But this time she pulled away, leaving _him_ wanting, for a change. This time, she did the smirking.

“I’ll see you upstairs,” she whispered, barely more than a breath against his lips.

“I’ll be there.” He said as she moved backwards to the door, never once taking her eyes off him.

“I’ll bring chicken,” she said, just as she slipped through the door.

“Wait? Chicken?!” she heard him from inside the workshop, and she chuckled as she skipped up the stairs again to find Kima in the kitchen as promised. She had not been hungry when she had made the excuse, but chicken was always good, and Percy had a tendency to forget to eat when he was tinkering.

And the man had to keep his strength up after all.      


End file.
